DW Valor vs. upper end 1911

[teflondog]

That press release was dated april 2005.

A "few years" for teflondog is 10.

Time flies. I checked my receipt for another gun I bought that day and it was in 2009. I must be losing my mind.

[teflondog]

I checked out the Dan Wesson 1911s at Shot Show (not this past year but the year before...didn't get to their booth this year for some reason). I liked them. They had great triggers and great fit and finish.

That said, the most impressive High End 1911s I've see are those made by Ed Brown. Not only do they make an excellent product, the family owned and operated business offers friendly customer service. They are really nice people.

The ones I was not so crazy about were the Les Baers. Not only did I not like the triggers or fit and finish as much as others, the staff were grouchy and rude. I would still buy one used if I found a hell of a deal on one. But I would not go out of my way searching for one. A smoking deal would have to fall into my lap.

Based on the ones that I own, I would say that it's Wilson Combat > Ed Brown > Les Baer

They all perform the same, but my Les Baer has tool marks and requires a bushing wrench whenever I field strip it. My Wilson and Brown are practically identical but Wilson's customer service makes it #1 for me.

[Sigbird]

Not to thread jack but this reminded me, does anyone know any store in LA/OC/IE/SGV area that carries Wilsons? I want that all black CQB that MTG stocks but they are way up in Sactown.

If you want to pay about 4 K otd. Stockade in Westminster also has a few. They have a SS Protector for 3400+tax. This link shows the Protector for 3100, but they want 3700. He has lots of Wilsons.

http://www.wholesale-guns.us

[stormvet]

Only in the 1911 world do people care about MIM.

This is true, I beleive it has a lot more to do with conditioning then facts at this point. Current production MIM has reached a level of quality that really make it a none issue anymore.

Most that knock it, have no personnel experience with it, negative or positive just repeating what they've read on the internet. Stories and pics that happened a decade ago or longer.

As a person who's owned 1911 pistols with MIM and never suffered a parts breakage or weapon failure because of it(some for many many years and thousands of rounds fired) and who also owns high end semi-custom 1911s without MIM. I find the constant bashing of it amusing.

[teflondog]

Reliability is not the only reason why MIM is looked down upon. It's a cost cutting measure that isn't desirable when you're spending $2k+ on a gun.

[FightonKC]

I talked to a regional sales rep at dw/cz about this. He hasn't heard of this new sse2.0 yet. Although I probably don't fully understand how it works yet, I tried asking him about the possibility. His only reply was, "That would be really hard."

Maybe someone who understands it better can work with them and see what can be done ?

Maybe you can get the break top single shot upper from a vendor here, Limited-Ten, then send it to DW to put on a Valor frame. You can buy the Valor slide from DW.

1911/2011 SSEv2 kits

Breaktop Single-Shot Upper

[Rhyyke]

If you want to pay about 4 K otd. Stockade in Westminster also has a few. They have a SS Protector for 3400+tax. This link shows the Protector for 3100, but they want 3700. He has lots of Wilsons.
http://www.wholesale-guns.us

Huh, these guys are practically in my back yard, I'll give them a call!

[Mister.E]

My black Valor new was around $2050 otd. I've seen them here on the classified for $1700 - $2200. Markup, if any, isn't too bad since anything higher you're getting into Les Baer money. There's also a couple Specialists for sale in the NorCal classifieds, if they were down here I'd snatch one up.

[Chapped Hide]

I picked up a Duty coat Specialist form another CGN'r. Don't pick it up until Friday but first impressions are that the fit, finish and trigger are far better than my TRP. Really wanted a half dial TRP but when they do come up, they are priced around $1,800-$2,000. Picked up the Specialist for $1,600 and I have a good feeling it's going to be much nicer than the TRP I wanted.

[TheInternetGunner]

Dan Wesson is a poor man's Ed Brown. Don't buy a DW at an EB price.
Les Bear has tool marks because it's hand built. If you can't stomach that and want hand built plus perfect finish then prepare to drop some hefty cash on a Wilson Combat Supergrade because that's the only other semi custom that has close to the same amount of hand work as a Les Baer.

[Gryff]

This thread makes me glad I bought my son's Valor (graduation/commissioning gift) before SSE ended. The slide goes off for engraving tomorrow.

[krisjon]

Only in the 1911 world do people care about MIM.

Truth.

Then again, I'm currently replacing a bunch parts on my TRP. Haha.
But it's for the fun of customizing and smithing, not because of the MIM.

[dk94044]

The attraction of the Valor was at the price point, it was essentially 90% identical to an Ed Brown Executive without the smooth rounded cosmetics. Owners felt like they were getting the most bang for the buck. That being said, with the PPT post SSE markups, it probably won't be as worth it, especially the Duty treatment. The Stainless V-Bob is my fav EDC (Fri-Sun) OWB carry in a STX2.0 Silent Thunder, but I shoot best with the ugly beast Les Baer w/ 1.5" guarantee.

[gabo]

well said.. guess I will do without a valor, unless this sse2 starts to pan out

[L84CABO]

Just an FYI...it's been my experience that Wilson master dealers usually have the best pricing, if you're going that route. And Wilson customer service is > Baer's